Earl Coffee Oatmeal Stout | Hill Farmstead Brewery

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Notes / Commercial Description:
Earl (1911-1985) was our grandfather’s brother; Hill Farmstead Brewery rests upon the land that was once home to him and his 13 siblings. In his honor, this Stout is crafted from American malted barley, Flaked Oats, English roasted malts, American hops, Organic Guatemalan Coffee, our ale yeast, and water from our well. It is unfiltered and naturally carbonated. A silhouette of coffee and malt - an embodiment of complexity and drinkability, this is the ale that I dream to have shared with Earl.

Reviews by BTVflatlander:

Fortunate enough to have had this on-draft at Parker Pie Co. in West Glover, Vt. My good friend, a Kingdom-native and Hill aficionado who had tried this before me was underwhelmed. I figured to give it a try.

A: Silky black and oily with a gorgeous mocha head. Looks great.

S: Coffee, syrupy, chocolately. Smells great.

T: Whoa. Damn. I usually find non-imperial stouts watery and sour, but this hits the nail on the head. Sweet and sour, but well balanced in it. Coffee is most pronounced with a good deal of chocolate, also some vanilla. Absolutely fantastic.

M: Very well done. One of the few Oatmeal stouts I've had with a good mouthfeel. Thick and satisfying. As my underwhelmed friend observed, "it's like a meal." Probably moreso than a Guinness, frankly.

O: Glad to have brought a bottle home with me. Try it for yourself if you can, but this is the only Oatmeal stout I've ever ben wow'ed by. Fantastic.

More User Reviews:

a different kind of coffee stout here, relying less on sweet crystal malts to cover up or balance out bitter or acidic coffee, this beer instead seems to choose to embrace those elements, and the malt bill seems designed to compliment that, not cover it up. the beer is obsidian shiny black, with a surprisingly active and lasting dark brown head, very lively and foamy, crows this nicely in the glass. bitter coffee aroma right away, heavily roasted drip coffee, maybe even some thats been sitting on awhile, gas station sludge in a good way, with this intense almost charred grain depth to it. the flavor is much of the same, tons of bitterness and even some light astringency from the coffee. only the oats seems to temper that, with a little starchy richness that adds some body and a very thin vein of sweet. the coffee is bold here, obviously added liberally, but also tasting on the edge of going stale. i have become acutely sensitive to freshness of coffee in the last few months, and i notice a ton of beers now have a stale coffee element. this is nowhere near oxidized and green peppery, but it seems like it may be near the end of its useful life, at least for the coffee part. i like the intense bitterness this brings, and the body. i like the bold nature of it, and the abv is spot on for the style and what i like to do with it. always a treat to drink hill farmstead beer, and this is cool because its neither yeast nor hop driven, which makes it one of their very few i have had like that. thanks to my man back east for sending this one out in an amazing box of beers. memorable for its coffee intensity and minimalist almost naked approach.

500ml bottle - dated 08/17/2015 - into a cool tulip. L: Deep black and opaque with a modest brown head which fades quickly leaving big bubbles and slight lacing. S: Coffee and sweet malt, of course, with floral, earthy notes. Smells like light rain on a hot sidewalk. T: Sweet-bitter malt right on top with lingering coffee and some dark chocolate, maybe some grape? earthy, minerals. F: smooth and creamy, slight, tight carbonation, slight mineral tang lingering on the tongue. O: I honestly tried to linger over this and savor it but it was so massively tasty I practically siphoned it down and had to open a second one to finish writing the review.

Appearance: Near black with some dark brown at the edges when held to direct light. Head is super creamy and dense to start. Head is a medium tan leaning to dark. Drops to a small smooth collar with a few clumps of creamy cap. Moderate carbonation on the pour accompanying a moderately viscous pour. Minimal lacing.

Smell: Super roasted. Roast adds a soft touch of almost burnt malt. Coffee laced throughout. Some small hins of dark fruit. Tons of chocolate and cocoa. Mostly dark chocolate with some baker's cocoa thrown in for good measure. Slightly sweet. A touch of almost soy and meat in there as well...more like a well seasoned grill. A soft hint of citrus from the hops. A touch of rock coupled with some straw. Minerals. Chocolate malt in abundance. A mild hint of oats buried in the back. A slight hint of char and smoke.

Taste: Chocolate malt on steroids. Super chocolaty. Milk chocolate gives way to bitter baker's chocolate and nibs. Super dark chocolate. Oats add a bit of dimension. Small hint of citrus ghosting over the top, but it's very quickly crushed by the assertive malt base. Some generic dark fruit pushes through each sip. Fresh tobacco and a ton of coffee bean. Slightly smoky with a slight hint of grilled meat. Fresh roasted coffee bean. Slight minerality in the back as well. Sweet without crossing in to sugary or cloying. Some husky grain. Warming ups the hoppy backbone throwing a soft floral edge. Ends up a little harsh as it warms jumping the bitter cocoa and deep roasted notes to a distracting and obfuscating level.

Mouthfeel: Creamy medium body with a moderate carbonation. Super smooth, but the carbonation livens it up just a touch. Slight astringency.

Overall: Yet another guy you want around all the time.

It's definitely American. Hoppy and creamy and delicious. Everything blends. Drinks bigger than it actually is and will probably age for 2-3 years with grace.

Overall: Another Hill Farmstead brew..another beer right at the top of its class. Exceptional for a coffee stout. While this is not my favorite style, the coffee is not too bitter but it is highly present. If I were to reach for a coffee stout, this is where I would go to.